The prior art includes several attempts to provide means for creating a composite image and/or vignette upon light sensitive material and without special darkroom procedures.
Early work by Kuhn (U.S. No. 369,453), Dreyfoos U.S. No. 1,118,640), Howard U.S. No. 1,137,975), and Folger (U.S. No. 1,197,811) taught various vignettes in which the vignetting screen is interposed between the camera lens and the object to be photographed and can be quickly and easily adjusted in any direction with or without a supporting hood.
Leavitt et al (U.S. No. 2,186,610) teaches a lens hood which is positioned in the front of the objective lens of the camera and permits a plurality of blended or overlapping exposures to be made on a single sheet of sensitized material such as photographic film. The lens hood is provided with a plurality of sliding curtain members which may be adjusted to provide a exposure opening of sufficient size to expose only the desired portion of the sensitized film which is positioned in the focal plane of the camera. After such an exposure is made, the curtains are rearranged to provide a different exposure opening to expose another portion of the sensitized film. This folding procedure is repeated until all of the desired portions of the film have been separately exposed. As the curtains on the lens hood are adjacent the camera lens, the marginal edges of each exposure are not clear cut but instead blend into the adjacent exposures. Such an arrangement provides a picture containing a plurality of blended exposures in a single frame.
Splendore U.S. No. 3,122,077 also teaches a lens attachment for obtaining multiple exposures upon a single film surface by selectively exposing different sections of the film surface in a manner calculated to eliminate traces of overlap. The lens attachment includes a sleeve member which is frictionally engaged and rotatable relative to the lens barrel and includes a generally cylindrical hood member having an aperture at one end thereof. As the hood is rotated, the aperture is rotated to various preselected positions to create a multiple imaged photograph.
Horveth et al (U.S. No. 3,765,314) teaches a camera attachment Which slips over the lens mount of the camera, is cylindrical in shape, and has an opening that shades approximates one half of the film when the picture is taken. By rotating the device 180.degree., the second portion of the film is exposed thus allowing two scenes to be recorded on one frame of film any be combining into one picture.
Savage (U.S. No. 3,918,078) teaches a slotted mat box for use with a camera in which a preselected mat is placed in the slot any fages out the edges of the film any blocks out a preselected area of the film.
Bodnar I (U.S. No. 3,940,775) also teaches means and methods of exposing a film frame while masking a pre-selected portion of the field of exposure by a first mask and then reexposing the same film by means of the same lens with a second mask which masks the previously unmasked portion which requires utilizing the same F-stop if the same lens is used for both exposures.
Lorener et al (U.S. No. 4.122,470) discloses an attachment for a camera for creating a photo montage by taking a separate picture on a different area of the same film. Hinged blinds are used to selectively mask fixed preselected portions of the film so that the masked portions will remain unexposed until intentionally exposed, and will not be reexposed after exposure.
Huber (U.S. No. 4,124,859) discloses a vignetting system for cameras including a housing Which attaches directly to the lens element of the camera and supports a series of vignetting lids at the remote end thereof. Each lid has an aperture formed therethrough of preselected size and shape to produce desired vignette. The lid is rotatable relative to the housing into positive engagement at one of a multiplicity of precisely defined sites. By combining different lids in the course of making multiple exposures on a single film frame, a multiple vignette is created.
Hayles I (U.S. No. 4,423,939) teaches a camera attachment for producing multiple images on different portions of a single film frame. A mask containing multiple openings of diverse shape and size is slidably mountable to move along predetermined path transverse to the camera lens to maintain a predefined relationship between the mask and the lens and to compensate for changes in light.
Hayles II (U.S. No. 4,506,964), teaches an attachment for a camera to provide multiple imaging and vignetting effects. A mask is provided which transmits light to selected portions of the camera film frame while blocking light to other portions. The ask is rotated by a coupler housing to permit light to be transmitted to other sections of the film in sequence.
Thomas (U.S. No. 4,708,449) teaches a masking apparatus for forming multiple exposure photographic images in which a plurality of cards of complimentary sizes and shapes are used to register ia precise, reselected position with respect to each other upon a camera. Registering is provided for sequentially mounting each card upon the camera so that the apertures are in different complimentary positions with respect to the film upon which the multiple exposure photograph images are desired.
Guez (U.S.. No. 4,827,291A) reaches a photographic accessory for making superimposed photographs on the same frame of film by exposing selected portions o the negative by shielding other portions o he negative from exposure and then utilizing additional masks to expose previously unexposed portions and complete the multiple image photograph.
From e above, it is apparent that many efforts have been made to provide multiple images on a single film frame. However, in spite o the extensive effort, there still exists a need for a fool-proof, light weight, precisely controllable imaging assembly which is readily usable with off the shelf cameras and which will produce professional quality multiple image photographs without darkroom manipulation or time consuming setup. It is toward this goal that he present invention is directed.